One of the most often-quoted lines from any Christian book written in recent history is the first line of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life:
“It’s not about you.”
I remember the first time I read it. Like many others, I stopped there and sucked in my breath. What a revelation; it’s not about me? Now before I start to respectfully disagree, let me say that I understand what Mr. Warren is saying. “I must decrease, He must increase”, “think of others more highly than you think of yourself”, and all that kind of thing. From our viewpoint, God and others should always come first. Yes, that’s true.
But I’ve been thinking about God’s viewpoint, and you know what? In His heart and mind, it is all about me. And all about you. I give you the evidence:
God spent six days of wild creativity and imagination speaking this world into existence. You’ve seen it; it’s amazing—mountains, oceans, flowers, animals, desserts, jungles. The world was a dazzling, multi-faceted, glorious work of art. But it was only a backdrop, an environment for His ultimate creation—mankind.
Think of a pregnant woman, awaiting her child's birth. She prepares a nursery. Paints walls, assembles a crib, a changing table. She hangs pictures and mobiles, strategically places stuffed animals and blankets. Makes a comfortable, absolutely adorable haven. Why? It’s all about the baby, of course. No one would make such a room just to have it were there no baby on the way. It’s also about relationship with that baby. The mother knows this will be a room of intimacy—nursing, snuggling, singing, and prayer—a sanctuary for mother/child bonding.
And when God made this world, it was all about us. He was a parent, anticipating His child’s arrival, decorating extravagantly, thinking of every need, and preparing myriad wonders to delight. He couldn’t wait to have intimate relationship with His children in this lovely setting! And then He did His final wondrous work of creation and made man in His own image. Wow.
Of course we know it wasn’t long before things took a turn for the worse—the serpent, the apple, The Fall. How tragic. God’s children disobeyed and were now cursed with sin and death. A horrible gulf sprang up between them and God, and between each other. God’s art had been vandalized. Which brings me to my next bit of evidence…
God, being the Hero that He is, immediately set in motion His plan to rescue us. This plan involved sending His son Jesus to live as a homeless, sorrowful, rejected man. To suffer abuse and experience every temptation His fallen children face, and to bear every bit of sin and shame, then die a most hideous, torturous death of humiliation.
That sacrifice… was all about me. And all about you. Again, I say wow.
“It’s not about me,” is a good thing to remind myself when I’m getting proud or selfish or greedy. When I need to remember that I’m living for Jesus and others. But the very best motivation to live for God and others is to remember that He is all about me. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) If I understand that He loves me “with an everlasting love,” (Jeremiah 31:3) that He “rejoices over [me] with singing,” (Zephaniah 3:17) that He “gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16)…. Then I am moved to respond in obedience. Yeah, it’s all about me. His creation, His sacrifice. Even now, Jesus is busy. He said, “I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3, emphasis mine)
Lord, How amazing that You love me like You do. That You thought of me, created me, died for me. That You put Your Holy Spirit in me, that Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede for me, that You have a plan for me and a heavenly home waiting for me. You are all about me. Please help me to be all about You. Amen.
“It’s not about you.”
I remember the first time I read it. Like many others, I stopped there and sucked in my breath. What a revelation; it’s not about me? Now before I start to respectfully disagree, let me say that I understand what Mr. Warren is saying. “I must decrease, He must increase”, “think of others more highly than you think of yourself”, and all that kind of thing. From our viewpoint, God and others should always come first. Yes, that’s true.
But I’ve been thinking about God’s viewpoint, and you know what? In His heart and mind, it is all about me. And all about you. I give you the evidence:
God spent six days of wild creativity and imagination speaking this world into existence. You’ve seen it; it’s amazing—mountains, oceans, flowers, animals, desserts, jungles. The world was a dazzling, multi-faceted, glorious work of art. But it was only a backdrop, an environment for His ultimate creation—mankind.
Think of a pregnant woman, awaiting her child's birth. She prepares a nursery. Paints walls, assembles a crib, a changing table. She hangs pictures and mobiles, strategically places stuffed animals and blankets. Makes a comfortable, absolutely adorable haven. Why? It’s all about the baby, of course. No one would make such a room just to have it were there no baby on the way. It’s also about relationship with that baby. The mother knows this will be a room of intimacy—nursing, snuggling, singing, and prayer—a sanctuary for mother/child bonding.
And when God made this world, it was all about us. He was a parent, anticipating His child’s arrival, decorating extravagantly, thinking of every need, and preparing myriad wonders to delight. He couldn’t wait to have intimate relationship with His children in this lovely setting! And then He did His final wondrous work of creation and made man in His own image. Wow.
Of course we know it wasn’t long before things took a turn for the worse—the serpent, the apple, The Fall. How tragic. God’s children disobeyed and were now cursed with sin and death. A horrible gulf sprang up between them and God, and between each other. God’s art had been vandalized. Which brings me to my next bit of evidence…
God, being the Hero that He is, immediately set in motion His plan to rescue us. This plan involved sending His son Jesus to live as a homeless, sorrowful, rejected man. To suffer abuse and experience every temptation His fallen children face, and to bear every bit of sin and shame, then die a most hideous, torturous death of humiliation.
That sacrifice… was all about me. And all about you. Again, I say wow.
“It’s not about me,” is a good thing to remind myself when I’m getting proud or selfish or greedy. When I need to remember that I’m living for Jesus and others. But the very best motivation to live for God and others is to remember that He is all about me. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) If I understand that He loves me “with an everlasting love,” (Jeremiah 31:3) that He “rejoices over [me] with singing,” (Zephaniah 3:17) that He “gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16)…. Then I am moved to respond in obedience. Yeah, it’s all about me. His creation, His sacrifice. Even now, Jesus is busy. He said, “I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3, emphasis mine)
Lord, How amazing that You love me like You do. That You thought of me, created me, died for me. That You put Your Holy Spirit in me, that Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede for me, that You have a plan for me and a heavenly home waiting for me. You are all about me. Please help me to be all about You. Amen.
And that's the wonderful mystery of it, Janet. Grace.
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ReplyDeleteSo incredibly, wonderfuly, put. Thanks Janet!!! I am so thankful that God does love each of us individualy so much!! This is a great reminder of that.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder, Janet, and so nicely put. Another wonderful devotional. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, ladies. You DO know that I mainly write these things to remind MYSELF of the truth, don't you? And it's amazing how I can write something like this-- about God's amazing love-- but still have trouble letting it sink into my own heart. I guess we just won't understand it completely until heaven. May you all walk in His love today. (and me too:)
ReplyDeleteI love this devo! You're right - WOW! :) It's especially powerful as I'm preparing for my own baby, so all those images hit home so much harder. Maybe God gives us children just so we'll understand - in part - His great love for us.
ReplyDeleteJanet,
ReplyDeleteI tend to write to myself so that truths that I know in my head permeate my heart as well. This was a sweet devotional. Thanks for sharing your musings with us.
Love ya,
Lynne
We cannot EVER possibly comprehend the totality of His love for us. The Bible says so..."You have laid your hand upon me. such thoughts are too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." What a relief! God even provides respite from worrying about whether we get it or not. That God of ours, He thinks of everything! We are everything. Thanks for pointing that out Janet.
ReplyDeleteI like your thoughts about "It's not all about me" ... nice to hear someone else seeing it from another side, also.
ReplyDeleteAny strength can become a weakness when taken too far and the thought that it's not about me can be taken to the place of weakness, if we aren't careful.
Jesus tells us it is all about "loving our neighbors as we love ourselves." Sounds to me like I have to love me before I can love others, and to do that I need to recognize who I am in God's eyes and that I matter to him and that my 'dash' of time on this earth is unique and is "all about me." As I stretch my puny, little mind to wrap around that truth and His love flows in me … only then will I want to make the choices to do all that 'loving my neighbor' entails.